Warner Previews 2008/2009 Blu-ray Slate

Warner Bros. has unveiled plans to celebrate its 85th birthday in grand style, promising Blu-ray release of such beloved titles as 'Gone with the Wind,' 'The Wizard of Oz' and films from the Batman and Dirty Harry series.

Revealed by top studio execs at a media event held last night on the Warner lot, the studio says it will honor its 85-year legacy with an extensive slate of DVD and Blu-ray releases of major theatrical and catalog titles throughout 2008 and early 2009.

Many titles mentioned have already been hinted at in previous public statements, including films from the Batman and Dirty Harry franchises, the upcoming theatrical hits 'The Dark Knight,' 'Speed Racer' and 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' as well as the first high-def release from Warner's new direct-to-video premiere label Raw Feed, 'Otis: Uncut.'

The studio went on to say that several of its most beloved classics will go into temporary moratorium on standard DVD in 2008 in anticipation of a series of lavish re-issues on both DVD and Blu-ray in 2009, including 'Gone with the Wind,' 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'North by Northwest.'

The list of titles previewed at last night's event are as follows (note that the studio stressed that this is not a complete list of planned Blu-ray releases, simply the highlights):

Q2 2008: 'Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collection' (includes 'Dirty Harry,' 'Magnum Force,' 'The Enforcer,' 'Sudden Impact,' 'The Dead Pool' and bonus disc "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows')

Q3 2008: 'Batman Anthology' (includes 'Batman,' 'Batman Returns,' 'Batman Forever,' 'Batman & Robin,' 'Batman Begins'), 'Batman Begins'

Q4 2008: 'Otis: Uncut'

2009: 'Gone with the Wind,' 'North By Northwest,' 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Woodstock'

2008/2009 Theatrical Releases: '10,000 B.C.,' 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' 'The Dark Knight,' 'Get Smart,' 'Speed Racer'' and 'Where the Wild Things Are.'

Warner has not released specific street dates or technical specs, but full announcements are expected over the coming months as the studio rolls out its complete 2008/2009 line-up.

Needless to say, we'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, we'll be adding all of the above titles to the "Release Dates Pending" section of our Blu-ray Release Schedule. Stay tuned!

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